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Shrewsbury and Telford could be pioneers for local TV
Tuesday 9th August 2011, 6:36PM BST.
Jeremy Hunt
Shrewsbury and Telford are in the running to pioneer the UK’s first local television services.
A total of 65 towns and cities across the country have been invited to apply for the first wave of licences, including the two Shropshire towns. They are being asked to make the case for why they should be one of the first to bid to enjoy the service.
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “These new, local TV services will be a fundamental change in how people get information about their own communities and how they hold their representatives to account.
“There’s a huge appetite for local news and information in communities.”
He added: “In deciding the order in which licences should be made available, we need to judge the level of interest from potential broadcasters and audiences, and take the views of companies interested in bidding for the single multiplex licence.”
The first licenses will be open to bidders in a few months, with a consultation opening today. It is expected that the initial list will be narrowed down to around 20 contenders for the first tranche of licensing before the end of the year.
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Shropshire TV was trialled a few years ago and I believe it was a success, my family watched every broadcast and enjoyed the various stories and features, lets hope we get local Television back for good.
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You must be easily pleased, the quality of the reporting was appalling( okay we’ll forgive the cameraman, they were after all trained amateurs), and the subjects so dreary.
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Of course if both the Tories and the last Labour government hadn’t allowed ITV to destroy itself then we would still have ‘local’ TV
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Regional news programmes are quite awful, you have the choice of watching what’s going on in Derby,Leics and Notts or with the Beeb have somebody who can’t make her mind up if she’s a news reader or a weathergirl.
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We only have to listen to the local radio to realise that there is not enough going on in the county to justify the expense of a tv station.
The line of for Saturday.
9am Flower arranging
11am Local news in detail
11.01am The history of the potato
12 noon Winemaking for beginners
2pm Live coverage of the 2nd Test
Broseley take on arch rivals Willey.
6pm Close
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Would be great if there was an big element of public access programmes. Members of the community making programmes for the benefit of the rest of the community. (Some of the stuff they broadcast on Sky’s ‘Community Channel’ is quite good)
But have a horrible feeling that it will be just like local radio – poor quality with a proportionately high number of adverts.
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Local TV is the technological equivalent of the Steam Engine in modern Britain i.e. its quaint and of interest to a worthy but ultimately dull few (F. Dinah excepted). Modern internet based technologies with a variety of media and on demand content would be a better solution.
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It’s my belief that TV has been the scourge of our times.
It dominates every aspect of our lives – it’s on first thing in the morning, its on all day, and stays on till you go to bed.
If stifles all conversation, and the majority of mainstream programs dull any imagination.
We need less TV, not more!!!
I remember reading books, listening to the radio, and having really interesting conversations without having to compete with the all pervading images in the corner of the room.
Good grief… its EVEN in the pub, and that REALLY annoys us when we (as musicians playing a gig … ) before we start playing… have to ASK for it to be turned off!!!
Turn the damned thing OFF
“in the words of Queen. (radio ga ga,)
……
We watch the shows — we watch the stars
On videos for hours and hours
We hardly need to use our ears
How music changes through the years
Let’s hope you never leave old friend
Like all good things on you we depend
So stick around cos we might miss you
When we grow tired of all this visual
You had your time, you had the power
You’ve yet to have your finest hour
(Radio)
I say AGAIN .. turn the DAMNED THING OFF!!!!
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I can just imagine it – Shropshire Star quality journalism with moving pictures..
No Thanks!
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Oh no …not more channels … mostly of visual garbage, fit only for imbeciles and those who don’t have a life.
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